For Earth Day 2014, trade out your car for a bicycle to save time, money and the environment. Here at 24 Foundation we support not only cycling during the 24 hours of our event, but year round.

Getting from point A to point B is vital and how we do so is critically important. The United States is considered one of the most car-friendly nations in the world with 2,605,000 miles of paved roads of which 86.1 percent of workers use to commute. Transportation is the second largest cost in the American family budget. Commuting via car is not only causing us to dig deeper into our pockets, but it is also costing us our health as the majority of Americans are living a sedentary lifestyle. Cycling is the solution!

How can bikes save us?

• 90 percent of Americans drive to work and only .6% ride their bike
• 7 percent of American’s car trips are shorter than 2 miles
• Cycling is 50% faster than cars during rush hour.
• Adding 30 minutes of daily cycling will save us $544 in medical costs annually
• A four-mile bicycle trip keeps about 15 pounds of pollutants out of the air we breathe.
• Moderately increasing bicycle use over a year has a savings of 6 to 14 million tons of CO2 and 700 million to 1.6 billion gallons of fuel
• Switching from an automobile to a bicycle has a significant cost savings of 3-5¢ per mile in energy costs, 1-12¢ per mile in air pollution costs and 2-5¢ per mile in noise pollution
• Between 2005 and 2030, annual emissions of greenhouse gases in the U.S. are projected to increase by 35 percent from 7.2 to 9.7 billion tons CO2. The more trips made by bicycle, the slower the rate of increase.

*Statistics available from Adventure Cycling Association & Huffington Post Bike to Work Infographic

In cities like Charlotte, investing in a bicycle is a smart move to make that in the long run will pay for itself in the amount of time, money and emissions saved by switching. Not only are you saving money and more importantly your health, you are saving the environment. Cycling essentially produces no pollution and consumes no fossil fuel.

24 Foundation challenges you to take the cleaner route to work in celebration of Earth Day! Get moving!